


Dalish Curses

by ModernAgeSomniari



Series: Headcanons [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen, Headcanon, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25151731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ModernAgeSomniari/pseuds/ModernAgeSomniari
Summary: Headcanon
Relationships: None
Series: Headcanons [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1811488
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Dalish Curses

##  A lot of people have picked up on the fact that the Dalish may very well use Fen’Harel’s name in their curses more than just ‘May the Dread Wolf take you’, to hilarious results.

In my mind this is compounded by the Dalish making up for not really having very much to swear on by developing very French/Yiddish-like cursing - aka long, often pretty surreal and incredibly creative. This is helped greatly by the fact that we know that elvish is quite meandering as a language.

The shorter curses are the ones they save for really meaning it. You’re not likely to hear a Dalish say ‘May the Dread Wolf take you’ unless there’s about to be a fight. He’s far more likely to tell you to:

‘Go suck on the Dread Wolf’s unnecessarily hairy ball sac.’

or 

‘May the Wolf shove his tail up your arse so far you spit hairs covered slightly with shite’. 

The fact that these curses are damning but also funny also demonstrate the closeness of the Dalish people - they want to tell each other when they’re being an arsehole, but ultimately they don’t mean each other harm.

Dalish who are especially creative with their curses become almost famous for it and there’s almost always an unofficial curse-off at the Arlathvhen.

Translating these phrases (which are often in elvhen, at least in part) becomes something of an in-joke to the Inner Circle with a Lavellan Inquisitor (or Dalish from the Chargers, for that matter).

Varric’s favourite roughly translates into: ‘May the Dread Wolf take you up the arse in the manner of nugs’. Leliana does not approve. For all his knowledge of the Dalish, Solas seems to know very few of these curses, but no one can tell if he approves of them or not.


End file.
